The present invention relates to a system application management method and system, and a storage medium which stores a program for executing system application management.
FIG. 1 is a view showing the arrangement of a conventional application management system.
Referring to FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a server computer group. In a system in which an application server computer A, application server computer B, and application server computer C are connected to a network 2, the operation definitions of applications operating in the application server computers are set in application operation definition storage files 100, 200, and 300 in units of application server computers 10, 20, and 30, respectively. Application management sections S10, S20, and S30 look up the files and control the operations of applications. An application operation definition means contents that define conditions and execution environment for the operation of an application program.
In this arrangement, every time addition/change of an application occurs according to addition/change of a function of the computer system, the application operation definition storage files on all application server computers associated with the application must be updated. In addition, each application server computer has an application operation definition storage file.
The problems of the above-described prior art can be summarized as follows.
In the conventional application management system, the application server computers 10, 20 and 30 have the application operation definition storage files 100, 200, and 300, respectively, as shown in FIG. 1. This makes file management complicated. Additionally, in case of addition or change of a function in the computer system, it is difficult to flexibly distribute applications to a plurality of application server computers.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system application management method and system which resolve cumbersomeness in managing each application operation definition in a computer system and realize flexible application distribution, and a storage medium which stores a program for executing system application management.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an application management system applied to a system including a network and a plurality of computers connected to the network, comprising: means, provided in a specific computer of the plurality of computers, for setting in advance operation definitions of a plurality of applications which operate on one or more computers except the specific computer and systematically managing the operation definitions; and application management means, provided in the one or more computers except the specific computer, for looking up, through the network, an operation definition managed by the specific computer to control an operation of a to-be-managed application.
In the system, the systematic management means may comprise means for storing the operation definitions of the plurality of applications put into groups in designated units of applications or functions, and the application management means may look up the operation definitions to simultaneously operate the plurality of applications put into groups.
The system may further comprise means for monitoring an execution time of the to-be-managed application.
The system may further comprise means for detecting an operation error of the to-be-managed application and requesting the application management means to execute post-processing of the application.
The system may further comprise means for setting an operable/inoperable state of each of the plurality of applications put into groups in the designated units of applications or functions.
The system may further comprise means for operating the to-be-managed application at a predetermined cycle.
The system may further comprise means for recognizing a state of an application for receiving ;data in communication between applications, and in accordance with the recognition result, dynamically changing a computer in which the application for receiving data operates.
The system may further comprise means for looking up an operation state of an application operating in each computer group.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an application management method applied to a system including a network and a plurality of computers connected to the network, comprising the steps of: in a specific computer of the plurality of computers, setting in advance operation definitions of a plurality of applications which operate on one or more computers except the specific computer and systematically managing the operation definitions; and from the one or more computers except the specific computer, looking up, through the network, an operation definition managed by the specific computer to control an operation of a to-be-managed application.
The method may further comprise storing the operation definitions of the plurality of applications put into groups in designated units of applications or functions, and looking up the operation definitions to simultaneously operate the plurality of applications put into groups.
The method may further comprise monitoring an execution time of the to-be-managed application.
The method may further comprise detecting an operation error of the to-be-managed application and issuing an execution request for post-processing of the application.
The method may further comprise setting an operable/inoperable state of each of the plurality of applications put into groups in the designated units of applications or functions.
The method may further comprise operating the to-be-managed application at a predetermined cycle.
The method may further comprise recognizing a state of an application for receiving data in communication between applications, and in accordance with the recognition result, dynamically changing a computer in which the application for receiving data operates.
The method may further comprise looking up an operation state of an application operating in each computer group.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium having program components stored thereon that perform application management in a system including a network and a plurality of computers connected to the network, the program components comprising: means for setting in advance, in a specific computer of the plurality of computers, operation definitions of a plurality of applications which operate on one or more computers except the specific computer and systematically manage the operation definitions; and means for looking up, from the one or more computers except the specific computer through the network, an operation definition managed by the specific computer to control an operation of a to-be-managed application.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.